Let’s take a look at some of the steps you can take to launch your brand into Snapchat supremacy.

Stories

If you’re completely new to the world of Snapchat (and hopefully you’ll have picked up the basics by reading the rest of this blog post…), Stories are basically everything. Every time you take a snap, you have two options: you can either send it to individual users on your friends list to be viewed for up to 10 seconds before disappearing, or you can add it to Your Story for everyone to see for up to 24 hours. As a brand, it makes sense that everything you post goes straight to Your Story. To ensure that those adding you on Snapchat can actually see Your Story, it is important that you switch your privacy settings under ‘Who Can View My Story’ to “Everyone.”

Get behind the scenes

One of the best things about Snapchat is that it’s all about living in the moment. What better way to give your audience the inside scoop on exactly what goes on at your business? And not the boring stuff – all of the fun stuff like your morning coffee, team meetings, office dogs, and if you’re lucky, maybe a few sunny skies.

Showcase your team

Get the people behind your brand involved. Allocate your Snapchat account to a different user every week and get them to document their day. ‘A Day in the Life’ campaigns are a great way to introduce your audience to a more personal and sociable side of your brand.

Draw!

Drawing on Snapchat just got even more fun with the ability to change your brush size and even draw with emojis. You don’t have to create insanely talented pieces of artwork (unless you want to, of course) but adding that extra bit of quirk to your snaps can never go amiss!

Have fun with stickers and emojis

Let’s face it, not all brands are as exciting as others. I’m sure we’d all love to know what goes on behind closed doors at MTV (a prime example of everything you should be doing on Snapchat) but maybe not so much at your local Tesco. Stickers and emojis are another fun feature you can use to spice up your snaps and make what may appear as average and boring into something cool and fun.

Events & discounts

Sadly there’s only so much office life you can Snapchat before it becomes boring and repetitive. If you have an event coming up, use it as an opportunity to share new and exciting experiences with your Snapchat viewers. Document the lead up and perhaps even offer your loyal viewers a few surprises such as discount codes and other potential promotions. You can even save your best snaps to your camera roll and post them on your other social channels.

Geofilters

Geofilters are creative overlays targeted towards certain locations that can be accessed when a user is passing through that chosen area. They can be as broad as an entire city but in this case you’ll probably want something on a smaller scale. When we celebrated Storm’s annual summer day out, we put together our very own Geofilter. After downloading the necessary specifications and guidelines from the Snapchat website, we were able to create our design. Once happy with this, you can simply upload, select the date, time, and location you want your Geofilter to appear, and pay a small fee (depending on how large an area you are aiming to target).

Create a custom Snapcode

Now that you’ve mastered the art of snapchatting, you’re going to want to let everyone see. One of the most effective ways to get people adding you on Snapchat is to talk about it on your other social channels. Along with this you might want to attach what is known as a Snapcode (essentially a QR Code) that Snapchat users can use to add your account without all the hassle of having to type in a long username. And of course, you’ll want to get creative and throw your branding in there.

To access your Snapcode, log into your Snapchat account at and head over to the ‘Snapcodes’ tab. From here you’ll be able to download a .psd / .ai file where you can work your magic. Be sure to check out Storm’s very own Snapchat account: stormid.ltd

Now that you’ve got the basics down, consider really ramping up your Snapchat performance with smart, targeted, advertising. Check out our Advanced Guide to Social Media Ads for all the info you need.